Best and worst additions to 'College Football 25'

"EA Sports College Football 25," one of the most anticipated sports video games of all time, was released on Monday for deluxe edition pre-orderers. This ended an 11-year hiatus without an Electronic Arts-produced college football game, and while the early reviews are glowing, there are some downsides.

With that in mind, here are the best and worst additions that EA made to "EA Sports College Football 25."

BEST | Unique stadium environments | One of the biggest selling points of "EA Sports College Football 25" was that teams would have a true home-field advantage. EA definitely delivered on its promise, with each stadium having its own unique atmosphere. Playing as the road team will be a challenge in every game you take part in, with the difficulty varying based on how prestigious the program you're facing is. You'll have to battle through a number of obstacles to lead your team to victory, including a shaking screen and missing pre-play icons.

WORST | New kicking engine | While the unique stadium environments make "EA Sports College Football 25" that much more enjoyable to play, there's one big drawback. Kicking field goals, particularly on the road while playing on a higher difficulty, often seems nearly impossible due to the impact the roaring crowd has on the kicking meter. If you're on one of the hashes on fourth and long, it might be more effective to try another passing play instead.

BEST | Revamped passing | Perfecting revamped passing requires a steep learning curve, but it's extremely rewarding once you have it down. Revamped passing gives you complete control over every pass, from the power of the throw to the arc of the ball. Throw power will determine the accuracy of a pass, so you'll want to make sure you're not holding down the button for the route you're throwing to for too long to deliver an accurate pass.

Revamped passing comes in handy when you're trying to fit the ball in tight coverage, and, most importantly, it doesn't feel as arcade-like as passing did in past "Madden" and "NCAA Football" games.

WORST | Underdog journey in Road to Glory | Unlike in previous EA-produced college football games, you won't play out your senior season in high school to earn scholarship offers in Road to Glory mode. Instead, there are four backstories to choose from — Elite, Blue Chip, Contributor and Underdog — and whichever you select will determine your custom-made player's initial rating, along with how much playing time you'll receive at the program of your choice.

Some may enjoy the challenge of starting on Underdog, which sets your player as a 60 overall. However, it's frankly not worth the hassle if you plan on committing to a large program, as it'll be extremely difficult to earn playing time for several seasons. If you don't wish to start out as a high-ranked recruit, consider giving Contributor a try.

BEST | Recruiting in Dynasty Mode | Dynasty Mode is arguably the most popular game mode in "EA Sports College Football 25," and EA didn't disappoint with the new enhancements to recruiting players. Not only is recruiting more immersive than in years past, but it's realistic as each recruit has different demands, such as wanting to play close to home or play for a championship contender. As a result, rebuilding your dynasty will be more challenging if you start out at a smaller school, but it will be well worth the effort if you can convince a five-star recruit to commit to your program.

WORST | Changing the read option controls | Perhaps the most unnecessary addition in "EA Sports College Football 25" has been the alteration to how to run the read option. When reading the defense in past "Madden" and "NCAA Football" games, you would press "X" or "A" to hand the ball off to the running back or do nothing to keep it. This year, however, the controls have been flipped, so you must press "X" or "A" to run the ball with your quarterback and not tap any buttons to give the ball to your tailback.

While it might not seem like a significant change, even the most experienced player could go through a lengthy adjustment period before mastering the read option, especially considering how fast plays unfold in "EA Sports College Football 25."

WORST | Main menu song | Overall, "EA Sports College Football 25" has lived up to the hype, but it's rather surprising — and a bit disappointing — that there's only one lyric-less song to listen to when you're at the main menu. Although it perfectly captures the feel of what a marching band's drum line plays, it quickly grows old since it's excessively loud, and there isn't anything else to listen to. EA should add more music for the main menu, perhaps by including various schools' fight songs.